A twelve-year-old girl from Goa has written an open letter to Shashi Tharoor, exposing him threadbare. The usually vocal former minister seems to have lost his voice and has remained unusually quiet. Despite the letter having gone viral on the internet, and despite several prominent publications carrying it, the same Tharoor who is quick to answer back on most issues, has remained uncharacteristically mum.
It all began when Shashi Tharoor made yet another infamous and shameful statement, about how Hindi, Hindu and Hindutva was diving the country. There was a huge backlash against this statement from several quarters. Tharoor was questioned by people across the spectrum as to why he had made statements that insult almost 80% of the country’s population. The mainstream media, which is largely supportive of the Congress Party, tried its level best to play it down and make people forget about the statement, but for many, this was too much to take.
Among those who spoke up against this statement was twelve-year-old Kianna Rodrigues, a seventh grade student from Goa. Her open letter questioning this statement struck a chord with thousands of people. The clarity in her ideas, how she systematically exposed Tharoor, and the fact that she is only twelve and has left Tharoor without an answer, has been appreciated by one and all.
Kianna starts off by introducing herself, and expresses her disappointment over Tharoor’s statement. She tells him flat out that it is misleading, and that it is hurtful to millions of Hindus. A so-called intellectual who has served at the United Nations and in the council of ministers, being schooled by a twelve-year-old about what is hurtful and what is not, clearly shows how disconnected some people are with ground realities despite their fancy credentials.
This is followed by an attack on how Tharoor has broad-brushed millions of people, and what this generalisation really translates to. Since this is an attack on all Hindus, Kianna writes, “If Hindus are dividing the country would you remove all the Hindus from the Congress party, which I am sure has a considerable number of Hindus.” A simple question, but one that Shashi Tharoor would not have the guts to answer, since he would face further backlash. If this is what he thinks of Hindus, why stand shoulder to shoulder with them?
Kianna goes on: “If you cannot remove all Hindus in the Congress party, would it be fair to arrive at this conclusion that you think as Hindus they are dividing the nation, you are insulting your own Hindu congress women and men, or that you prefer to be positioned as a Christian and Muslim political party while you demonise Hindus.” That is a fair question to ask. Let Shashi Tharoor come out and publicly state that the Congress Party, much like the AIMIM or the TMC, is a party of the Muslims or the Christians only. Clearly, they can demonize the Hindu populace at will, but they do not have the guts to publicly position themselves one way or another.
Kianna then talks about how dividing the country and keeping it submissive is a game-plan that certain politicians follow only to further their political agenda. She talks about how, at the age of twelve, she does not see her friends based on their caste or creed, but as fellow humans and Indians. She talks about how proud she is of Hindu culture and heritage as an Indian. You can read the full letter here.
Twelve-year-old Kianna has shown why age is just a number. Maturity and intelligence, clearly, don’t depend on your age or your credentials. It’s high time people see the likes of Shashi Tharoor for the divisive forces that they are, and not as the dashing intellectuals that the Khan Market Consensus make them out to be.
